Use the ADKAR Model to Integrate Change Management & Project Management

Integrating change management and project management has been an area of study for over a decade at Prosci. Although some people seem to think that project management and change management have a rivalry akin to the Capulets and Montagues, we do not believe that to be the case. Research tells us that integrating these disciplines leads to more effective change management. More effective change management, in turn, leads to a higher likelihood of project outcomes being achieved.

Applications of ADKAR

Change management and project management are complementary disciplines, and when they are aligned and coordinated, they can achieve better results together than they could independently. When we decided to study the different uses of the Prosci ADKAR Model through our Applications of ADKAR research study, we knew that integration with project management would be a vital use case to investigate.

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The Value of Integrating Change Management and Project Management

Project management and change management are complementary disciplines with a shared objective.  They both aim to increase the likelihood that projects or change initiatives deliver their intended results and outcomes. Although each discipline functions independently, the most effective approach is to integrate change management and project management to create a unified approach on both the technical side and the people side of change.

Using the ADKAR Model as a tool for integrating change management into the project management approach allows for the individual change outcomes to become workstreams and milestones in the project plan. As part of a research effort to validate how organizations leverage the ADKAR Model, Prosci asked business leaders and change professionals questions about how they are integrating the ADKAR Model into their project management approach.

What the Research Says

“ADKAR aligns well with the Project Management Phases. It is easy to use and elements of the model are integrated into the deliverables of the projects.”

In our Applications of ADKAR research study, we asked users of the model to share why they integrated it with project management, how they facilitated this integration, and what the results were. The reports include many insights, including a case study of how one change management practitioner integrated the ADKAR Model with a PeopleSoft implementation to achieve better results.